The 5-minute Interview: Lindsey Coulson, Actress

'Teachers need to be creative, and not constantly having to hit targets'

Lindsey Coulson, 47, has played Carol Jackson in 'EastEnders' for four years. She is currently starring in Peter Gill's 'Small Change' at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre in central London

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Rehearsing for Small Change at the Donmar. It is the first time I have worked with Peter Gill and it is fantastically interesting.

A phrase I use far too often is...

"I should be doing..." I end up trying to do it all and it's not relaxing.

I wish people would take more notice of...

Older members of our society, to give them more time and respect.

The most surprising thing to happen to me was...

Turning into my mother! In the nicest possible way. My daughters tell me I am just like grandma. I never thought when I was a teenager that it would happen.

A common misperception of me is...

That I'm taller than I am, perhaps because I'm on television and it makes you look bigger than you really are. Or perhaps because I tend to play larger-than-life, opinionated characters.

I am not a politician but...

If I was, I would look at how we educate our children. I have two, so I see how important it is. We need to invest in more schools, with smaller class sizes. We need to allow teachers to be creative and not constantly having to hit targets.

I'm good at...

Gardening. I have a lovely 100ft garden and I love designing it. I was going to put in a vegetable patch last year but I didn't want to give up one of my flower beds.

I'm very bad at...

Not being in control. I'm bad at relaxing and letting go. I always think there is something else I should be doing.

The ideal night out is...

A good film with my husband and then a meal after. Food-wise, I love Turkish or Greek.

In weak moments I...

Buy shoes. I can't even count how many I have.

You know me as an actor but in truer life I'd have been ...

A documentary film-maker, if I'd have known it existed when I was younger. My education was that you ended up as a nurse, teacher or working in a bank.

The best age to be is...

The age you are. We need to tell younger women not to be scared of the ageing process. I feel beautiful because of the wisdom I've gained and who I am as a person. I didn't have that feeling in my 20s.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is...

Take each day as it comes, and smile more. It only takes a moment to smile at someone. It's a nice thing to do.

Marianne Powell